diff --git a/src/common.c b/src/common.c
index 6dacf65..10bf296 100644
--- a/src/common.c
+++ b/src/common.c
@@ -387,7 +387,6 @@ int
 	return shutdown(s, how);
     }
     int WINAPI def_closesocket(void* state, SOCKET s){
-	usleep(SLEEPTIME);
 	return closesocket(s);
     }
 #else
@@ -715,7 +714,9 @@ int doconnect(struct clientparam * param){
 	if(param->srv->so._getpeername(param->sostate, param->remsock, (struct sockaddr *)&param->sinsr, &size)==-1) {return (14);}
  }
  else {
+#ifndef _WIN32
 	struct linger lg = {1,conf.timeouts[LINGER_TO]};
+#endif
 	int tries = RANGETRIES;
 
 	if(SAISNULL(&param->sinsr)){
@@ -747,7 +748,10 @@ int doconnect(struct clientparam * param){
 	*SAPORT(&param->sinsl) = 0;
 	setopts(param->remsock, param->srv->srvsockopts);
 
+#ifndef _WIN32
+	/* not on Windows, see the accepting side in proxymain.c */
 	param->srv->so._setsockopt(param->sostate, param->remsock, SOL_SOCKET, SO_LINGER, (char *)&lg, sizeof(lg));
+#endif
 	if(extbindtodevice(param, param->remsock)) return 12;
 #ifdef WITH_UN
 	if(*SAFAMILY(&param->sinsl) != AF_UNIX)
diff --git a/src/ftppr.c b/src/ftppr.c
index f7d4ce6..e6f8d42 100644
--- a/src/ftppr.c
+++ b/src/ftppr.c
@@ -23,14 +23,18 @@ void * ftpprchild(struct clientparam* param) {
  SOCKET sc = INVALID_SOCKET, ss = INVALID_SOCKET, clidatasock = INVALID_SOCKET;
  SASIZETYPE sasize;
  char * req = NULL;
+#ifndef _WIN32
  struct linger lg;
+#endif
  struct pollfd fds;
 
  if(!(buf = malloc(BUFSIZE))) RETURN(876);
  param->ctrlsock = param->clisock;
  param->operation = CONNECT;
+#ifndef _WIN32
  lg.l_onoff = 1;
- lg.l_linger = conf.timeouts[STRING_L];;
+ lg.l_linger = conf.timeouts[STRING_L];
+#endif
  if(socksend(param, param->ctrlsock, (unsigned char *)"220 Ready\r\n", 11, conf.timeouts[STRING_S])!=11) {RETURN (801);}
  for(;;){
 	i = sockgetlinebuf(param, CLIENT, buf, BUFSIZE - 10, '\n', conf.timeouts[CONNECTION_S]);
@@ -262,8 +266,11 @@ void * ftpprchild(struct clientparam* param) {
 		}
 		sc = param->remsock;
 		param->remsock = ss;
+#ifndef _WIN32
+		/* not on Windows, see the accepting side in proxymain.c */
 		param->srv->so._setsockopt(param->sostate, param->remsock, SOL_SOCKET, SO_LINGER, (char *)&lg, sizeof(lg));
 		param->srv->so._setsockopt(param->sostate, clidatasock, SOL_SOCKET, SO_LINGER, (char *)&lg, sizeof(lg));
+#endif
 		param->clisock = clidatasock;
 		res = mapsocket(param, conf.timeouts[CONNECTION_S]);
 		if(param->remsock != INVALID_SOCKET) {
diff --git a/src/httpsrv.c b/src/httpsrv.c
index 6a25589..ab16f17 100644
--- a/src/httpsrv.c
+++ b/src/httpsrv.c
@@ -1154,6 +1154,37 @@ static void httpsrv_drain(struct clientparam *param, uint64_t len)
 	}
 }
 
+/* Ends a connection this server is closing while the client may still be
+   sending: a body which was not read, or a request sent behind one answered
+   with a close. Closing with that unread resets the connection, and the
+   client loses the answer. The sending side is shut down instead and what
+   arrives is thrown away until the client closes too, for a bounded time
+   and amount, which is what lets the answer be read. */
+static void httpsrv_linger(struct clientparam *param)
+{
+	char buf[HTTPSRV_BLOCK];
+	struct pollfd fd;
+	uint64_t left = HTTPSRV_MAXBODY;
+	time_t deadline = time(NULL) + conf.timeouts[LINGER_TO];
+
+	if(param->clisock == INVALID_SOCKET) return;
+	if(param->srv->so._shutdown(param->sostate, param->clisock, SHUT_WR)) return;
+	while(left){
+		int timeo = (int)(deadline - time(NULL));
+		int got;
+
+		if(timeo <= 0) break;
+		memset(&fd, 0, sizeof(fd));
+		fd.fd = param->clisock;
+		fd.events = POLLIN;
+		if(param->srv->so._poll(param->sostate, &fd, 1, timeo * 1000) <= 0) break;
+		got = (int)param->srv->so._recv(param->sostate, param->clisock, buf,
+			(left > sizeof(buf))? (int)sizeof(buf) : (int)left, 0);
+		if(got <= 0) break;
+		left -= (uint64_t)got;
+	}
+}
+
 /* Keeps the request as the client wrote it. Only what a handoff needs: the
    request line and the headers, exactly as they came, since the proxy code
    reads them again from the beginning. */
@@ -1451,6 +1482,12 @@ static int httpsrv_request(struct clientparam *param, struct httpreq *r)
 		}
 	}
 	if(i && i != 10){
+		/* The body goes before the answer, as for any answer this server
+		   gives: left in the stream it would be read as the next request. */
+		if(!r->drained){
+			if(r->contentlen) httpsrv_drain(param, r->contentlen);
+			r->drained = 1;
+		}
 		/* 4 no credentials, 5 unknown user, 6 wrong password: all of them
 		   should let the client offer credentials again. */
 		if(i >= 4 && i <= 6) op_authrequired(r);
@@ -1573,7 +1610,12 @@ void * httpsrvchild(struct clientparam *param)
 			dolog(param, (unsigned char *)logbuf);
 		}
 
-		if(handoff || !r.keepalive) break;
+		if(handoff) break;
+		if(!r.keepalive){
+			/* the client may still be sending; let it read the answer */
+			httpsrv_linger(param);
+			break;
+		}
 		first = 0;
 	}
 	/* A child named by an access rule takes the connection over, which the
diff --git a/src/proxymain.c b/src/proxymain.c
index be3d6dd..6a531bf 100644
--- a/src/proxymain.c
+++ b/src/proxymain.c
@@ -306,7 +306,9 @@ int MODULEMAINFUNC (int argc, char** argv){
  unsigned char *cbc_string = NULL, *cbl_string = NULL;
  PROXYSOCKADDRTYPE cbsa;
  FILE *fp = NULL;
+#ifndef _WIN32
  struct linger lg;
+#endif
  int nlog = 5000;
  int haveslot = 0, nfull = 0;
 #ifdef __linux__
@@ -1117,10 +1119,14 @@ int MODULEMAINFUNC (int argc, char** argv){
 #else
 		fcntl(new_sock,F_SETFL,O_NONBLOCK | fcntl(new_sock,F_GETFL));
 #endif
+#ifndef _WIN32
+		/* Not on Windows: there closesocket() on a non-blocking socket with a linger
+		   timeout fails with WSAEWOULDBLOCK while data is queued, leaving the socket
+		   open. Without it the close completes in the background, data first. */
 		lg.l_onoff = 1;
 		lg.l_linger = conf.timeouts[STRING_L];
-
 		srv.so._setsockopt(srv.so.state, new_sock, SOL_SOCKET, SO_LINGER, (char *)&lg, sizeof(lg));
+#endif
 		srv.so._setsockopt(srv.so.state, new_sock, SOL_SOCKET, SO_OOBINLINE, (char *)&opt, sizeof(int));
 	}
 #ifndef NOUDPMAIN
@@ -1413,21 +1419,34 @@ void freeparam(struct clientparam * param) {
 	}
 	if(param->clibuf) free(param->clibuf);
 	if(param->srvbuf) free(param->srvbuf);
+	/* Not shut down on Windows: there shutting down receiving resets the
+	   connection as soon as the peer sends anything more, and close()
+	   alone sends whatever is queued before its FIN. Elsewhere it stays:
+	   on the BSDs it discards what is left unread, so the close that
+	   follows is not turned into a reset. */
 	if(param->srv) {
 		if(param->ctrlsocksrv != INVALID_SOCKET && param->ctrlsocksrv != param->remsock) {
+#ifndef _WIN32
 			param->srv->so._shutdown(param->sostate, param->ctrlsocksrv, SHUT_RDWR);
+#endif
 			param->srv->so._closesocket(param->sostate, param->ctrlsocksrv);
 		}
 		if(param->ctrlsock != INVALID_SOCKET && param->ctrlsock != param->clisock) {
+#ifndef _WIN32
 			param->srv->so._shutdown(param->sostate, param->ctrlsock, SHUT_RDWR);
+#endif
 			param->srv->so._closesocket(param->sostate, param->ctrlsock);
 		}
 		if(param->remsock != INVALID_SOCKET) {
+#ifndef _WIN32
 			param->srv->so._shutdown(param->sostate, param->remsock, SHUT_RDWR);
+#endif
 			param->srv->so._closesocket(param->sostate, param->remsock);
 		}
 		if(param->clisock != INVALID_SOCKET) {
+#ifndef _WIN32
 			param->srv->so._shutdown(param->sostate, param->clisock, SHUT_RDWR);
+#endif
 			param->srv->so._closesocket(param->sostate, param->clisock);
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/src/sockmap.c b/src/sockmap.c
index df7ad16..0e993bb 100644
--- a/src/sockmap.c
+++ b/src/sockmap.c
@@ -819,9 +819,6 @@ log("timeout");
  else if(inclientpipe || inserverpipe) res = 94;
 #endif
 
- if((param->nwrites > 0 && !SERVERTERMWRITE) || (param->nreads > 0 && !CLIENTTERMWRITE))
-	usleep(SLEEPTIME * 10);
-
 CLEANRET:
 
 #ifdef WITHSPLICE